Case Study

The following case study of a fictitious company ‘ABC Glass’ is based on the experience
of a number of real-life companies.

ABC Glass sell and install bespoke glass showers locally. Quotes are provided by
expert sales people based on phone calls, faxes or site visits for more complex
showers. When a job is won a sales person visits the site to take exact measurements
and then calculates and orders glass. The sales person also notes down a list of
hardware required. When the glass arrives an installer takes it and the hardware
to site and installs the shower. The job is then invoiced out by office staff.

Problems

Solutions using Smart-Builder with the Smart-Shower module

1. Quotes cannot be provided when the sales people are out of the office. Office
staff take messages but delays in quoting a prospective customer can mean the job
is lost.

1. The simple to use system means that showers can be designed instantly. By providing
accurate costing and producing 3D drawings Smart-Builder allows non draftsmen office
staff to make professional looking quotes.

2. ABC Glass have had problems with glass ordered for raking showers not fitting
which means expensive wastage. Because of this they have stopped quoting for showers
with raked ceilings.

4. Glass for complex showers often costs more than ABC Glass expect so they have
started quoting substantially more for such showers. However, they win very few
of these quotes.

4. Smart-Builder can calculate the glass and hardware cost for a complex 8 panel
shower with 2 doors and transoms as easily as it can for a simple bath panel, making
it easy to price competitively while maintaining a good margin.

5. Sometimes an installer arrives on site to install the shower and finds that the
hardware list is missing items. This requires a time consuming trip back to the
office.

5. As well as calculating glass sizes Smart-Builder also produces a complete hardware
list, including cutting and mitring instructions if desired, meaning that the installer
always knows what to take to site.

6. Office staff frequently take enquiries from customers about the status of their
jobs and struggle to answer these questions, often requiring a mobile call to sales
people or installers.

6. By adopting the Smart-Toolbox system ABC Glass could use glass order tracking
and the easy but powerful drag and drop scheduling to ensure that everyone knows
the status of current jobs.

7. Smart-Builder dramatically increases the volume and reliability of quoting which
is particularly important in a competitive market. By freeing up time and removing
the guesswork Smart-Builder enables a business like ABC Glass to win more business
and improve its bottom line.

Return On Investment Analysis

Trying to find ways to increase profitability is the goal of almost every business.
Using ABC Glass as an example, we demonstrate how Smart-Builder’s range of software
can improve your business profitability.

Without Smart-Toolbox

Using Smart-Toolbox

Monthly Figures

Total

Total

Normal Quotes Made

60

60

Normal Quote Value [1]

$1,500

$1,520

Normal Jobs Won [2]

40%

$36,000

45%

$41,040

Extra Quotes Made [3]

10

Extra Quote Value [4]

$1,650

Extra Jobs Won

20%

$3,300

Total Jobs Value

$36,000

$44,340

Expected Glass Cost

20%

$7,200

20%

$8,868

Glass Wastage [5]

3%

$216

1.5%

$133

Actual Hardware Costs

20%

$7,200

20%

$8,868

Office Staff & Overhead [6]

$10,000

$10,000

Installer Time Per Job [7]

8 h

$4,800

7.8 h

$5,265

Net Income

$6,584

$11,206

Increase in Net Income

70%

Can easily quote multiple options in a range of costs for a customer and also add
extras such as mirrors in the same quote.

Able to quote even less likely or more complex prospects because quoting is faster,
can be done by less technical staff and automated glass and hardware calculations
allow safely quoting more complex jobs.

Able to quote more complex showers with confidence that the correct glass and hardware
costs have been accounted for.

Reduced glass wastage through avoiding calculation mistakes.

Significant increases in quotes made and showers installed can be made just with
existing office staff by increasing efficiency through faster quotes, blindingly
fast re-quotes, computer calculations of glass and hardware sizes and costs, centralised
records, measure and installation scheduling, computerised tracking of outstanding
glass orders, etc.

Installation drawing provides consistent and accurate information to installers
on items to take to site and reduces time spent on repeat visits or phone calls
to or from the office.

HARDWARE DISTRIBUTOR OR GLASS FABRICATOR

This gallery shows some examples of showers, shopfronts, railings and balustrades
designed using Smart-Builder modules. These images can be printed on quotes and
you can rotate and zoom them within the software to get the perfect picture. Few
things are as effective at making an instant sale as showing a rotating colour representation
of your design to the customer.

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Send us your wildest creations in order to figure in our next gallery show. Email
us at info@smart-builder.com